


Rain

by Janie_Rose



Category: The Wandering Inn - pirateaba
Genre: Anand being cute, F/M, Home, Imagery, Inn's aura, Peaceful, Rain, Safety, Slice of Life, calm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie_Rose/pseuds/Janie_Rose
Summary: Erin makes a bench swing outside of the Inn. Relc decides to help.Edit: Added a little more Anand lol
Relationships: Erin Solstice / Relc Grasstongue
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Rain

It was spring again. The sky rumbled as rain showers came down in cascades. Shafts of sunlight shone through rolling, thundering gray clouds. The light shifted across the flood plains, glinting off pools of water already half-forming in the valleys of the hills.

Erin Solstice stood with her arms crossed on the outside porch of the Wandering Inn. Her hair and apron whipped about her as she watched. The wind sprayed rain onto her face despite the overhang of the Inn’s roof. Erin was calm.

“Hmm I should get a bench.” she remarked.

Erin closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt the spritz of rain cease as her aura coalesced around the Inn. The sounds of soft drizzles melded into the harsh mash of pellets against cardboard as the rain fell against it. Once she felt that the connection was made on the other side, Erin opened her eyes and sighed, satisfied.

It had taken a lot of practice to get her control this good. She bet that if she fixated on one location, she could stop a lot more than rain. But that was for any other day, not for peaceful ones like this one.

Erin had grown up in the Midwest and had always enjoyed the rain. Not the humidity or actually getting wet, but just sitting inside with her chess set as she watched the storm consume the world outside. Erin wanted to bring that here. The safety. The wafting steam from a coffee cup. The gentle warmth as she fell asleep on the couch as rain pattered against the window.

A small part of her would always miss home, even if she had made her place here now.

“Erin?” Lyonette’s voice rung out.

Erin turned around and smiled. Lyonette stood at the doorway with a questioning look.

“Lyon! Can you get me a mop? I’m going to start on that outdoor furniture we talked about.”

Her face twitched.

“In this weather?” Lyon gestured.

“It’s no problem! My aura’s got it. I’m thinking a sun room would go nicely here. What do you think?”

Lyonette, who was in charge of much of the Inn’s new floor plans, stared blankly. Sometimes, Erin had no idea that the things she was capable of were strange even in this world. Then again, she wasn’t from this world.

But she was theirs.

Lyon smiled. “Sure! I’ll tell Pawn and the Antinium about the new additions.”

“Thanks! Oh! Can you also get a runner to get some wood and stuff? I was just going to build it myself. I don’t really feel like waiting for a custom order.”

“Alright!” Lyon agreed and headed back inside. She flagged down Ishkr about the mop request and gathered other employees. As Lyonette gave orders to the Inn’s staff, she looked over again at Erin, who was now mopping the porch. Her mind flitted back to home, to a girl looking bored as she ignored her tutor. She remembered looking out the window onto the royal gardens. It was beautiful. She wished that she could bring it here.

Lyonette sighed. A garden outside the Inn was a bad investment.

Maybe one day.

* * *

It was dinner time at the Wandering Inn and Relc had just got off work.

He was wandering in through the portal door when he saw a crowd of Antinium come in through the Inn's official entrance.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked as he walked up to Anand, who was sitting at a table by himself.

"Oh! We were just helping Erin make her new sun room." Anand said excitedly.

"Is she still out there?" Relc asked as he pointed outside.

"Yes!"

"Alright, thanks!"

Relc was about to walk away when he heard the squeaks of a chair being pushed back.

"W-wait Mr. Relc!" Anand exclaimed.

"Relc is just fine." he said as he turned back.

"I-I was hoping we could have conversations that a father figure and his metaphorical son could have, if you are free this evening that is." Anand requested with a tremor in his voice.

Relc laughed good-naturedly and patted Anand's shoulder.

"Sure! " he smiled, "But maybe later, I'm going to go check and see what Erin's up to first."

"I understand!" Anand said as he lifted up his mandibles.

Relc nodded at him and headed outside.

* * *

Erin hammered as she nailed a hook into the ceiling of the Inn’s overhang. She wobbled a little on a chair. If it wasn’t for her [Advanced Crafting] skill, she bet that she would have hammered her hand by now.

“Need some help?” a deep and cheery voice said.

She looked over her shoulder.

It was Relc. He grinned at her. Even with her standing on a chair, he was at her shoulder level.

Erin beamed.

“Yeah!”

She got down and let him have a go. After he was done installing both hooks, Erin handed some chains up to him. They jangled as he hooked them on. Then it was just the bench that had to go up.

“This is pretty big.” Relc noted as he hefted up his side easily.

“Y-yeah!” Erin grunted as she lifted her side up with both hands.

She quickly gave up and they decided to hook up his side first. Erin hit her head lightly with a fist. Why hadn't she just hooked the chains onto the bench first? She sighed in exasperation.

“Got it!” Relc whooped.

“Great!” Erin said as she headed towards the other side. Relc was just as fast though. They both grabbed for the handle. She jumped a bit as his warm hand covered her’s. Erin looked up.

“Op” Relc said as he retracted his hand immediately.

She pulled her hand back too. A little pink dusted her cheeks.

They didn’t talk about it, but sometimes, it was weird between them.

“Umm”

But the good kind of weird.

Relc rubbed the back of his neck spines.

“Let’s try out that bench!” he exclaimed awkwardly.

“Okay!” Erin agreed.

They both stared at it from the front.

“Ladies first!” Relc gestured.

Erin nodded. She sat down onto the swing. The chains jangled but did not give out, which was a good thing.

“All clear!” Erin cheered. She smiled and looked at Relc, patting the spot next to her. He grinned back.

Relc plopped down and sighed as he spread his arms along the bench’s back.

“All in a day’s work!” he jived.

“Yup!” Erin agreed.

His hand hung over her shoulder as they sat on the bench swing. She was sure it was just friendly.

The rain that had pelted against her aura’s manifestation dissolved into a faint pitter patter. Erin kicked her legs lightly so that the bench would go into a soft swing. The golden light that had peeked through the gray rain clouds earlier had turned into delicate shades of apricot. The sky still rumbled. It would turn dark soon.

Erin’s head rested on Relc’s shoulder. Her boots skidding the ground lightly as they swung back and forth. His other hand was in his lap and she had found herself playing with it. Erin rubbed the inside of his palm with her thumb. She had always thought that scales would feel smooth but his were rough, like sandpaper.

Were those … calluses?

She glanced up with a question in mind but found that Relc had dozed off. His head was lolled off to the side as he snored softly.

Erin’s eyes glittered with hidden mirth. She decided to take a nap too.

Erin shifted a little closer, lied her head back onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.

She kept Relc's hand in her's.

He was warm.

Erin smiled.

It had been a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> School has been insane. It finally calmed down a little so I could write this drabble before I forgot. Enjoy!


End file.
